Us and Them
by gator-md
Summary: Booth and Brennan versus Beckett and Castle
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: The premise is thin, but isn't that the beauty of fanfic? Potshots welcome. Mild spoilers for The Bones on the Blue Line, Tick, Tick, Tick, and Boom!

There were some things he just couldn't wrap his head around and he was a very intelligent guy, if he did say so himself….and he did. But Kate Beckett, no matter how much progress he thought he was making at the mystery that was the woman, always seemed to be just a beyond his grasp of comprehension. Castle found himself thinking about Beckett at the oddest moments. Walking down the street something would catch his eye and he wondered what she would think or while watching a movie, he posited a random theory and wondered what pithy remark she would make in response. He wasn't sure what to make of his constant preoccupation with Beckett, but was grateful that he could always blame his work; after all, she was the inspiration for his latest, bestselling, soon to be on the big screen, character.

Before he could contemplate Beckett further, his iPhone rang. Beckett's semi-scowl stared back at him as he answered the call. She really wasn't fond of having her picture taken. "Castle."

Beckett wasted no time with a greeting. "Get down to the station."

"The station?" Castle was puzzled by her directive. They had closed their most recent case a few hours before and he hadn't heard anything over the scanner.

"Castle, I don't have time for this. Come if you want. Your call." Without waiting for a response, she hung up. He glanced at the phone and wondered why she was shorter than normal with him. He couldn't recall doing anything more annoying than usual. He knew that he sometimes pushed the limits of her patience, but the dynamic seemed to work for them. Shrugging it off, he grabbed his coat and headed to the station.

When he arrived, Ryan nodded in greeting, while Esposito pointed in the direction of the conference room. Neither gave any indication about what was waiting for him. Curious, he walked to the conference room and saw Beckett, Captain Montgomery, and two people he didn't know at all. The man's appearance screamed federal agent of some kind, but he wasn't sure what to make of the woman with him. Castle perfunctorily knocked on the closed door, but didn't bother waiting to be invited in before entering. He couldn't make out the look on Beckett's face but she definitely seemed somewhat amused by the situation. "Hello. Hope I'm not interrupting anything…" He took a seat at the table and gave Beckett a pointed look.

She ignored him and resumed talking. "As I was saying, I'm not sure what exactly we can do for you."

With a half-smile, the fed said, "We just need a little interagency cooperation."

"I don't know that what you're asking for falls in any of our job descriptions. And frankly, I don't know that I can justify the loss of my best detective for such a frivolous endeavor." Montgomery knew how much Beckett hated all of the attention that went with being Castle's inspiration, especially after the Dunn case.

Castle couldn't contain himself anymore. "Frivolous endeavor? Sounds like something right up my alley. Richard Castle, at your service." Out of the corner of his eye he saw Beckett roll her eyes, just as he knew she would. She might be a mystery in some ways, but in others he could read her like an open book. He stuck his hand out. The unidentified fed took it and they shook.

"Special Agent Seeley Booth and this is Dr. Temperance Brennan." Booth nodded to the woman seated beside him.

Before Booth could say anything else, Castle interjected, "Beckett, they're like the federal version of us."

Beckett tried to smother her smile at his enthusiasm. She had known Castle would love this. "Except Dr. Brennan here has three doctorates and is an actual consultant for the FBI instead of just an observer."

Castle dramatically put his hand over his heart and tried his best to look wounded. "That hurts. Really, I'm not sure if I'll ever recover."

Dr. Brennan finally spoke. "I believe, Mr. Castle, that Detective Beckett was merely pulling your foot."

"Leg, Bones, leg." Booth quietly corrected, while Beckett and Castle looked on with amusement.

The look on Captain Montgomery's face seemed to indicate that he was getting annoyed at the lack of progress. Clearing his throat, he waited until he was sure he had their attention. "Now that introductions have been made, I suggest we get back to the matter at hand. The mayor believes that this would be good PR for the department as well as go a long way towards improving cooperation between agencies. I don't agree. Cops and feds rarely play nice in the same sandbox."

"Sir, I'm not exactly sure what you are asking of us." The amused look on Beckett's face was giving way to concern. Montgomery didn't like whatever was going down and she trusted his judgment.

"As Castle said, Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth have a working relationship similar to yours and the powers that be have decided that a profile on the four of you would make for fascinating reading." Montgomery barely managed to conceal his contempt for the idea. While he would readily agree that Castle had proven to be a valuable member of Beckett's team, he really didn't want any more distractions in his precinct.

As the captain finished, Castle watched Beckett closely. Any trace of humor that she had found in the situation had long since vanished. Shooting an apologetic glance at the agent and his partner, Beckett fervently voiced her opposition to the idea as well. "I don't have time for this. Haven't I done my fair share by allowing Castle to shadow me?"

More to himself than anyone in the room, Castle said, "I do more than shadow. I…"

Beckett glared at him, stopping him from saying anything else. She would reassure him later. Right now she just had to get out of this. "We have cases to work. I'm sure you do as well, since you're the 'federal version of us'…"

In his best negotiator's voice, Agent Booth calmly interjected, "We have cases too. But this one is way above either one of our paygrades. The sooner we cooperate, the sooner we get back to our real work."

Beckett considered his words and glanced at Captain Montgomery. The resignation on his face was all she needed to see…there was no hope of reprieve. Once again she was going to have to tolerate the spotlight that being inspiration for Nikki Heat required. "Fine. What exactly does this entail?"

Now that Beckett was on board, Montgomery excused himself. The less he knew about this the better. The four sat at the table-Beckett and Castle on one side, Booth and Brennan on the other.

Castle wanted to know more about the pair and he could see the PR possibilities of the profile, but he wasn't exactly sure what the endgame was. "So what exactly are we supposed to be doing? Who's writing the piece?" He assumed they knew more than had been shared since they had come to New York.

"Mr. Castle…"

"Just Castle works for me." He shot a friendly smile at the beautiful doctor. Booth's eyes narrowed just slightly, but both Castle and Beckett saw it.

Dr. Brennan apparently did not notice. "Castle then. I assume that you are familiar with the work that Booth and I do, since you recognized our names."

Beckett watched as Castle eagerly answered. "Absolutely. You're a world-renowned forensic anthropologist-slash-bestselling author. You and your team assist Agent Booth, who is the inspiration for your character detective Andy Ryan."

Booth quickly ducked his head and covered his smile with a discreetly placed hand. He knew what was coming. "The characters in my books are not based on anyone. While you have clearly gone on the record stating that Detective Beckett is Nikki Heat, I have made no such pronouncements. The characters in my books merely serve as a foil for the science. It's the forensics my readers enjoy."

Something about the way Brennan said "Detective Beckett is Nikki Heat" rubbed Beckett the wrong way, so she allowed herself to make a comment she might otherwise have passed on. "Huh, I think it's things like page 187 in your last book that your readers enjoy." At Brennan's look of indignation, both men tried unsuccessfully to stifle their laughter. Beckett wasn't sure the budding camaraderie between Booth and Castle was a good thing. She wasn't sure what to make of Brennan and wanted Castle firmly on her team. She decided to think about the fact that this was the second time in recent memory that she had contemplated sides and where Castle shook out in that equation later. "Moving on. What exactly are we supposed to do now?" It had been a long day and Beckett was ready to call it a night.

Booth's answer was simple. "Dinner."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: Sorry for the extended delay…still shaking off the rust…Timeline is in flux, but no baby on Bones and no declarations of love on Castle.

Castle nodded his head in agreement. "I know the perfect place-Remy's. Best burgers and shakes in the city…" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Beckett's eyes slightly narrow. Castle realized that he had just offered up "their" spot. He quickly added, "Or we could do something else…Thai? Sushi?"

With his trained eye, Booth noted Beckett's mild annoyance. Pointing at his partner, he quickly said, "Vegetarian, so maybe something else?" Brennan started to interrupt him. She could find something on any menu, but she caught Booth's slight shake of his head and let it go.

"Chang's in Chinatown? It's kind of a hole in the wall, but the food more than makes up for the atmosphere." Castle glanced around the table. Everyone seemed to be in agreement. "You can follow us, ok?"

"Sounds like a plan," Booth said as he stood. Brennan followed suit. With a somewhat resigned sigh, Beckett stood as well. She knew Booth and Brennan weren't to blame for this distraction, but she was still annoyed that once again her alter ego, Nikki Heat, was pulling her away from her work.

Castle opened and held the conference room door. Booth and Brennan made their way to the elevator. He shifted slightly to prevent Beckett from exiting. Sheepishly he said, "I know you hate this stuff..."

Beckett could see him trying to contain his curiosity about their counterparts. She knew under any other circumstance he would be peppering them with questions, but for her sake, he was reigning himself in. She felt like a bully. This wasn't his fault and, as Booth had said, the sooner they started, the sooner they would finish. "It's fine...and I could go for some Chang's Chicken…" she said with a small smile, hoping he would take her words for what they were…a peace offering. She was rewarded with a grin from Castle as he moved so they could walk to the elevator.

Booth watched the interaction between Beckett and Castle with mild interest. Angela was a fan of Castle's books and avid reader of TMZ. When she heard about this assignment, she had readily provided some background on Richard Castle. One of his books had just been optioned as a movie. He had somewhat of a reputation as a playboy, but there was some speculation in the media about the true nature of the relationship between the author and his muse. Watching the two of them, Booth could understand why. It was obvious the two were in sync, each adjusting to the moods and feelings of the other without a conscious thought. Booth knew that being partners with a member of the opposite sex often meant an assumption of something more. He was used to having to defend the platonic nature of his relationship with Bones, even if sometimes disagreed with his own defense in his head. He idly wondered if Detective Beckett faced the same dilemma or if there really was more to their partnership. Before he could give it another thought, the elevator doors slide open.

* * *

As Beckett wove in and out of traffic, Castle asked the question he had wanted to ask but couldn't in front of Booth and Brennan. "So you read Dr. Brennan's mysteries too?" Beckett's comment about page 187 had resonated with him.

"Did you think you were the only author in my life, Castle?"

"No…I just…" he stammered.

"You know I enjoy a good mystery and no matter what the good doctor says, there is a lot more going on in her books than science. That Detective Ryan of hers…well, Agent Booth certainly does him justice." From the corner of her eye, she saw Castle grimace. She smiled to herself. She did enjoy ruffling Castle's feathers. It was normally the other way around. "Now that you two have been introduced, maybe you could do a crossover or something. Two worlds collide…art imitating life and all that…" Beckett flashed him a mischievous smile.

"I think Rook would strongly object to the introduction of any other detectives..."

Without thinking, Beckett jokingly interjected, "Detectives or men, Castle?"

As tended to happen with them, the conversation abruptly turned from playful to loaded with subtext. Castle caught Beckett's eye. "Both, Kate. Nikki and Rook have enough to deal with without introducing a diversionary significant other, don't you think?"

Keeping her eyes on the road, Beckett responded, "Have a little faith, Castle. Nikki is a one-man woman."

* * *

Booth followed the Crown Vic in their rental car. Entertainment Weekly was picking up the tab for this little publicity stunt. He knew the only reason the Deputy Director had approved EW's request was the recent negative publicity about the bureau. Given that both Castle and Brennan had books headed to the big screen, public interest was at an all time high. The fact that all parties involved were photogenic didn't hurt either…at least that is what Brennan's agent had told them. He hated the idea of exploiting their partnership, but he knew he didn't really have a say.

Brennan interrupted his wandering thoughts. "I find it odd that Mr. Castle has been shadowing Detective Beckett for so long. Given the length of time, one could reasonably expect Mr. Castle has sufficient research for his books. And since he has no discernable skill set that would facilitate her investigative process, why would she continue to allow him to shadow her?"

"Give the guy a break. Not having a badge or doctorate doesn't mean he isn't a good partner. They have one of the highest solve rates on the force. That counts for something."

"I wasn't discounting his contribution. However, Detective Beckett seemed annoyed by our presence and this project. I can't fault her with that. If Mr. Castle were no longer shadowing her, then she wouldn't be in this current predicament. It would seem that he is the one benefitting most from this arrangement."

As usual Brennan was honest in her assessment and it was up to Booth to temper it with the human element. "They're partners, Bones. They both obviously bring something that the other needs to the table. That's how it works. Give and take. It might not be obvious to us, but it works for them." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye before continuing. "You could say the same thing about us."

"The expertise offered by the Jeffersonian as it relates to murders investigated by the FBI is why our partnership works, Booth."

He was shaking his head in disbelief even before she finished. "So any Squint and any FBI agent could do what we do?" Leaving on hand on wheel, he gestured at the space between them.

"Of course not, Booth. I'm one of the leading forensic anthropologists in the world." She seemed slightly offended that he had grouped her in with the general Squint population.

"Oh, so I guess in this case, I'm the one benefitting most from this arrangement?" His tone was neutral, not offended. He knew Brennan well enough to know that she was most comfortable defining their partnership in terms of their official titles. He also knew they were so much more than scientist and special agent.

His mater-of-fact question took Brennan by surprise. She realized the implication of his question and knew it was an unfair characterization-one she had to rectify. Turning to face her partner, she said, "No. This is a mutually beneficial arrangement. Before we started working together, everything I did was about understanding the past, but now our work is about so much more. We bring closure and some semblance of peace to families whose lives have been ripped apart by violence. Our partnership is a balance of purpose and understanding."

Booth nodded in agreement. For someone who so often doubted her ability to relate with the world around her in a meaningful way, he was once again struck by her depth and compassion. He wished, not for the first time, that she could see herself through his eyes.


End file.
